When it comes to items on your bucket list, scuba diving is a popular choice. According to the Diving Equipment and Marketing Association (DEMA), this underwater activity attracts over three million scuba divers in the U.S. and as many as six million scuba divers around the globe.

If you’re willing to get a little muddy, and don’t mind misty air in your hair, there is a private fairytale-esque waterfall at the bottom of a mossy forest outside of Scotts Mills Oregon, waiting just for you.

I lay in the warmth of the thick wool blankets I’m cocooned between, hoping to prolong the moment. If I stay put, I can maintain the shield of body heat I’ve created during the night. I decide to take a peak outside, and let whatever is waiting for me determine my next move.

First came the snow, then the rain, and more snow mixed with hail for good measure. But when the clouds parted to reveal endless snowcapped mountain ranges gleaming in the fresh sunbeams, I forgave the weather for being fickle.

In 1979, a middle-aged woman, her husband, and two children boarded a plane departing Kiev to escape a communist regime in the Soviet Union as Jewish refugees. Uncertainty filled their minds as they made their way to a more accepting life in the United States as Jews.

The Salkantay Trek is as much an expedition for the soul as it is a test of physical endurance. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience, and that is most likely due to the wonderful team at Salkantay Trekking.

About Me

Welcome! I’m Anna, a writer and digital storyteller with an appetite for adventure, a desire for simplicity, and nomadic tendencies. Hence why I live in a self-converted, solar-powered van with my dog Cagney!